Bear Baiting - Sample letter to Your Legislator #3
(Remember to edit this letter and make it your own. Letters make a bigger impact on legislators if they are not identical to others.)
[Date]
Dear [Your Legislator],
This letter is in regards to an appalling practice used by some bear hunters that is still permitted in our great state of [Your State]: bear baiting. I urge you to listen to the large number of people who are in favor of a ban on this practice.
Bear baiters lure the animal to them rather than chasing the animal in fair pursuit. The bait can include sweets, such as jelly donuts, or rotting meat, such as the body of a horse stuffed into a barrel or hung in the area. In both cases, the odor attracts the bear.
The animal learns to associate the area, and humans in general, with free food. This is particularly hazardous when the bears deemed unworthy of being shot for a trophy are allowed to feed at the free troughs for weeks or months, then the food abruptly disappears at the end of the hunting season. These animals may then approach backyards and trash cans in neighborhoods in search of more food, creating a dangerous situation for people living in the area, and wildlife personnel who are called in to resolve the problems.
The practice is also a horrible form of animal cruelty and violates all sense of fair chase. The animal is lured by food and shot in the back, without warning or pursuit of any kind, while the hunter waits for his kill behind a tree or in a blind.
Many states have banned the baiting of deer, elk, and other big game because it is unfair. The federal government has also banned the baiting of migratory birds for the same reason. Bear baiting is too cruel to be allowed to continue.
I ask that you look into this situation and take the necessary steps to represent the views and values of our community. Please consider introducing legislation that would ban the practice of bear baiting in [Your State].
Kind regards,
[Name]
[Address]